Apparatus for the treatment of glaucoma

• US 20030014092A1
• Filed: 03/05/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Glautec AG
• Original Assignee: Glautec AG
• Inventors: Neuhann, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US10/090,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20030014092A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/89
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/032 pressure limiting, e.g. hydrostatic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/033 Abutting means, stops, e.g. abutting on tissue or skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00868 Ciliary muscles or trabecular meshwork
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00891 Glaucoma
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00802 for photoablation

Abstract

An apparatus for the treatment of glaucoma with a laser catheter and a light-conducting fiber arrangement, to the proximal end of which light can be coupled and at the distal end of which a light-emerging surface is provided, with a pressure-sensitive device to achieve a specified contracting pressure of the light-emerging surface.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the treatment of glaucoma with a laser catheter and a light-conducting fiber arrangement, to the proximal end of which light can be coupled and at the distal end of which a light-emerging surface is provided, wherein a pressure-sensitive device (6, 7, 9) is provided to achieve a specified contacting pressure of the light-emerging surface (3).

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distal end has an elastic component (6) with a contacting lip (7), which can be bent.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the contacting lip (7) is constructed so that it is supportive in the chamber angle and, with that, prevents the fiber arrangement slipping off at the previously-placed site.

4. The apparatus of one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the laser catheter (1), in the region outside of the eye, has two sections (5a, 5b), which can be shifted axially with respect to one another against a spring arrangement (9).

5. The apparatus of one of the claims 1 to 3 wherein the laser catheter (1), in the region outside of the eye, has a pressure-sensitive device, which is realized with non-elastic components (employing, for example, a membrane or crystal technique), which are also pressure sensitive.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein an overload safety device interrupts the frictional connection of the sections (5a, 5b) when a specifiable contacting pressure of the light-emerging surface (3) of the light-conducting fiber arrangement (2) is exceeded.

7. The apparatus of one of the claims 4 to 6, wherein an optical display device and/or an acoustic indicator signal that a specified contacting pressure has been attained or exceeded.

8. An apparatus, especially for treating glaucoma with a laser catheter and a light-conducting fiber arrangement, into the proximal end of which light can be coupled and at the distal end of which a light-emerging surface is provided, wherein the distal end of the light-conducting fiber arrangement is provided with a device, which preferably can be slipped on and prevents the contacting light-emerging surface slipping off.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the device, which prevents slipping off has an arbor (10).

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the device, which prevents slipping off, consists of an anti-slip material, which adheres to the trabecula mechanism.